March 8, 2018
The conference program is available here [1], accompanied by an accessible version here [2]. Please note that slideshows and video of every session is not available.
Master of Ceremonies, Catherine Hazelton, Voter’s Choice California Consultant
Keynote, The Honerable Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State [3]
Opening Plenary: Opportunities and Challenges for Elections in 2018 [4]
- Moderator: Gail Pellerin, County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, Santa Cruz County
- Kim Alexander, President & Founder, California Voter Foundation
- Gregory J. Diaz, Nevada County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters [5]
- Joe Holland, County Clerk, Recorder and Assessor, Santa Barbara County [6]
- Dean Logan, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Los Angeles County
- Lori Shellenberger, Voting Rights Strategist
Session A: New Frontiers in Language Access: How California Law is Expanding our Democracy in 2018 [7]
- Deanna Kitamura, Voting Rights Project Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA [8]
- Eren Mendez, Elections Outreach Coordinator
- Steve Reyes, Chief Counsel, Secretary of State [9]
- Jonathan Stein, Staff Attorney and Voting Rights Program Manager, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus [10]
Session B: Remote Accessible Vote-by-Mail: A New Way for California Voters to Vote Privately and Independently
- Moderator: Paul R. Spencer, Staff Attorney for Voting Rights, Disability Rights California
- Ardis Bazyn, CEO Bazyn Communications
- Fred Nisen, Supervising Attorney for Voting Rights, Disability Rights California [11] | rtf [12]
- Jennifer Tagg, Departmental Systems Analyst, San Mateo County Elections [13]
- Steve Trout, Director of Elections, Oregon Secretary of State
Session C: Census 2020: What’s at Stake for California and its Democracy
- Moderator: Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, Chief Executive Officer, Latino Community Foundation
- John Dobard, Associate Director of Political Voice, Advancement Project California [14]
- Maria de la Luz Garcia, Director of Census, City of Los Angeles
- Rosalind Gold, Senior Director, Policy, Research and Advocacy, NALEO Educational Fund [15]
- Daniel Kikuo Ichinose, M.A., Director, Demographic Research Project, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles
Session D: Campaigns, Candidates & Voters: Navigating the California DISCLOSE Act
- Moderator: Dora Rose, Deputy Director, League of Women Voters of California
- Sandra Fluke, California State Director, Voices for Progress
- Stephen J. Kaufman, Principal Attorney, Kaufman Legal Group
- Emily Rusch, Executive Director, CALPIRG and CALPIRG Education Fund [16]
- Phillip R. Ung, Director, Legislation and External Affairs, Fair Political Practices Commission [17]
Featured Speaker, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Ph.D., Director, The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University [18] | slides [19]
Session E: Engaging the Public and Underrepresented Communities in District Transitions Under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA)
- Moderator: Kathay Feng, Executive Director at California Common Cause, National Redistricting Director at Common Cause
- Nicolas Heidorn, Director, California Local Redistricting Project
- Tanya Pellegrini, Voting Rights Attorney, MALDEF
- Jonathan Stein, Staff Attorney and Voting Rights Program Manager, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
- Jerome O. Torres, Past Chairperson, Chula Vista Districting Commission
Session F: Searching for Election Information: A Practical Overview of How Voters Acquire Election Information Online
- Moderator: Michelle Bishop, Voting Rights Specialist, National Disability Rights Network
- Monica Crane Childers, Director of Government Services, Democracy Works
- Aaron Nevarez, Governmental & Legislative Affairs Manager, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
- Kurt Sampsel, Government Services Project Manager, Center for Technology and Civic Life
- Jen Tolentino, Director of Policy & Civic Technology
Session G: Successful Preregistration Strategies to Expand Youth Participation
- Moderator: Rosalind Gold, Senior Director, Policy, Research and Advocacy, NALEO Educational Fund
- Mynor Godoy, Senior Field Organizer, Yvote, Movement Strategy Center
- Jesse Melgar, Deputy Secretary of State and Chief Communications Officer
- Emily Rusch, Executive Director, CALPIRG and CALPIRG Education Fund
Session H: Conditional Voter/Same Day Registration: Increasing Voter Opportunities to Register to Vote [20] | slides [21]
- Neil Albrecht, Executive Director, City of Milwaukee Election Commission
- Neal Kelley, Registrar of Voters, Orange County
- Jamie Kennerk, Chair, Board of Directors – CALPIRG Students
- Pete White, Executive Director and Founder, Los Angeles Community Action Network
- Raúl Macías, Manager & Attorney, ACLU of California Voting Rights Project
Closing Plenary: Implementing the Voter’s Choice Act in California’s Diverse Communities [22]
- Moderator: Catherine Hazelton, Voter’s Choice California Consultant [23]
- Gregory J. Diaz, Nevada County Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters [24]
- Jenny Ocon, Executive Director, UpValley Family Centers of Napa County
- Dora Rose, Deputy Director, League of Women Voters of California [25]
- James Schwab, Deputy Secretary of State, Policy & Planning